All posts filed under: Reviews: resources, books, museums

Friday Review: Village Books & Crafts, Palmerston North

Published by The Dreamstress

I’ve been meaning to write this review for ages, and ages, and just haven’t gotten around to it. Village Books and Crafts 318 College Street Palmerston North Ph:06-355-5735 Email:  Village Books and Crafts What it is: Village Books and Crafts is a small, friendly locally owned store, teaching centre, and mail order company.  It stocks everything you could ever want for quilting, fibre, and surface design.  And Dianne Southey, the proprietor, knows everything you could want to know about quilting, fibre art, and surface design. The Good: So much delicious quilting and crafting pogey bait!  Silk ribbons!  Lace (on sale as the store was clearing out its stash, so I picked up a bunch), embroidery floss, buttons (one of the largest selection of novelty buttons in New Zealand), thread, fabric, jewellery fixings…the list goes on and on. There is even oodles of stuff that I have no idea what to do with – fancy interfacings and fabric dyes, doll bits, and acorns (I still don’t know what those are for). Fear not though, the shop …

Friday Review: Richmond Antiques and Curios

Published by The Dreamstress

Remember a long, long time ago, when I posted about some vintage photography pogey bait?  I picked the photos up at my favourite antique/junk shop ever, Richmond Antiques and Curios, in Richmond, Nelson, South Island. Anyway, I figured it was high time I reviewed the shop. What it is: RAAC is what my mother calls a “junkshop” type antique store.  It has some of everything, pretty much all jumbled up in a barely organised heap.  This is not the place to go if you want 18th century French antiques in pristine condition.  It is the place to look if you are missing a piece of your china pattern, want a vintage lamp for your front hall, or need that particular type of gardening spade that they haven’t made in decades. The Good: This place has EVERYTHING.  It’s like a museum where you can touch all the items, but where nothing has a label to explain what it is.  It’s an excellent place to spend a happy afternoon.  And the staff are friendly and let you …